Talking About Dallas
Lunch with Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson always leaves me thinking about the future of the city.
Mayor Johnson has an incredible understanding of what is possible for Dallas. Even if he were not mayor, his observations about the city — and his understanding of both its challenges and its potential — would still be exhilarating and unrivaled.
Mayor Johnson is a thoughtful urbanist. The evolution of cities — particularly Dallas — has always been a great passion of mine. The mayor’s clarity of thought about the city may come from the vantage point of having been raised in West Dallas, educated at Greenhill in North Dallas, graduating from Harvard, and maintaining close ties with SMU as the city and the university become increasingly intertwined through shared initiatives.
One thing that dawned on me at lunch was the much-discussed move AT&T is making as it relocates its headquarters from downtown Dallas to a suburban campus. My initial reaction was disappointment. But as we talked, I realized that many AT&T employees already leave Dallas every evening for the suburbs. Their presence has limited impact on Dallas life.
In contrast, the Goldman Sachs headquarters moving to Dallas will have employees who are more likely to live in the city and involve themselves in Dallas life, contributing to the vitality of the city long after the workday ends.
If Dallas were a city in decline, we would cling to every company in an effort to slow the loss. But a vibrant city must continually upgrade — improving the quality of opportunity, participation, and civic life.
For Dallas to continue to flourish, it must sometimes allow some companies to leave so new and better ones can take their place.
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